1. Field of Invention
Night fishing is difficult and frustrating at best, and for centuries, fishermen have tried many methods and devices designed to make the activity easier and more enjoyable with varying degrees of success.
2. Related Prior Art
The lights utilized in conventional lighted floats are typically small and dim. They are difficult to see, do not clearly indicate the difference between a fish nibbling and a fish hooked, and quickly disappear from sight under water. This severely limits the kind and amount of information relayed to the fisherman.
3. Summary of Invention
The float of this invention has various signal lights to indicate varying conditions. A motion detector in the float activates a flashing light to indicate fish are in the vicinity of the float. A different colored light is illuminated when a fish comes in contact with the hook. The two lights are extinguished leaving a third light of another color illuminating the float. The light sources are very high intensity light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The lights of the float can easily be seen in cloudy and deeper water and at greater distances than other types of illuminated floats. The water beneath the float is illuminated by a light which may attract fish. The lights in the top portion also attract flying insects which may attract fish to the vicinity of the float. The shape of the float is immaterial as long as it is buoyant and the two sections can be fastened together to complete the electrical connections. The bottom section must be shaped so that a light beam can shine below the float. Otherwise the shape of the float may vary for interest and novelty, usually, however the shape will be round or oval. Other shapes may include for instance boat shape, duck shape etc. The batteries which power the LEDs and electronic circuitry can be quickly and easily replaced even in the dark by separating the top and bottom section and popping out the used batteries and replacing them with new batteries.
The illuminated fishing float is composed of a hollow top section and a hollow bottom section. The hollow top section and the hollow bottom section are fastened together with fastening means which may be threading between the sections forming a hollow float. The top section is composed of light conductive material such as clear or translucent plastic or glass. The top section contains a first light source which is a single color and is capable of intermittent flashing. The first light source may be a red flashing light-emitting diode (LED) and a third light source may be an bicolor red and green light-emitting diode (LED). The hollow float contains an electrical power source which is ordinarily a battery such as a lithium hydride, nickel cadmium or any other dry cell type. This power source powers the various LEDs and electronic circuits. The hollow float also contains a second light source and a motion detecting means. The motion detecting means may be a first photo transistor tuned to the wavelength of the second light source. The first photo transistor is connected through an electronic circuit to the first light source. The variation of light intensity causes the electronic circuit to turn on the first light source. The second light source is positioned to form a beam of light through the clear lens. The first photo transistor senses variations in the intensity of the reflected light from the second light source as fish approach the float thereby switching on the first light source.
The hollow float can also contain a third light source capable of emitting a first color and a second color when the top section and the bottom section are fastened together. The first color is preferably red and the second color is preferably green. The first light source and the third light source are connected through an electronic switching means to a hook. The second color is turned on when fish come in contact with the hook. The first color of the third light source is turned off when fish come in contact with the hook and additionally the first light source is also turned off when fish come in contact with the hook. The electronic switching means may be a second photo transistor tuned to the wavelength of the second light source. The second photo transistor is partially shaded from the light of the second light source by a light shading member which is connected to the hook through a pivot point. The movement of the light shading member when a fish comes in contact with the hook exposes the light-sensitive surface of the second photo transistor to the increased light, causing an electrical current to flow from the second photo transistor. This current causes the first color of the third light source to be turned off and the first light source to be turned off leaving the second color of the third light source illuminating the fishing float.
The top section and the bottom section may be joined by water tight threading between the top and the bottom sections and have electrical contacts to complete electrical circuits in the motion detecting means and the switching means when the two sections are screwed together. The contacts are composed of concentric electrical conducting strips of material located adjacent to the bottom opening of the top section. Spring contacts are located adjacent to the top opening of the bottom section. When the top section and the bottom section are screwed together, the electrical conductive strips of material contact the spring contacts completing the circuits thereby activating the motion detector and the switching means.